Cold or hot, vegetable sandwiches make a healthy change to anyone's diet. Far from drab, some of these ideas and recipes will bring a new dimension to your idea of a vegetarian meal.


Avocado sandwich

2 T cream cheese with chives
1 whole-wheat sub roll, split
1 small Haas avocado, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, shredded
½ c shredded cabbage (red, if you prefer)
1 slice provolone cheese

Spread the cream cheese on both sides of a sub roll. Top one side of the roll with the avocado, carrot and cabbage. Top the vegetables with provolone.
Broil in oven until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.


Roasted eggplant sandwich

2 lb eggplant, thinly sliced, peeled
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, flavored if desired
kosher salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 oz sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
1 foccacia, split and toasted
4 oz fresh mozzarella, provolone or smoked gouda cheese, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350°.

Layer eggplant on a foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn and repeat on opposing side.

Bake the eggplant for 20-30 minutes until soft and flavorful.

While the eggplant is warm, place on one side of the warm foccacia. Add sun-dried tomatoes and freshly sliced cheese. Cover with the top half of the warmed foccacia.


Some easy tips to keep in mind when making vegetable sandwiches are:

1. Try new vegetables and try them raw, broiled, baked or lightly fried. Some vegetables entire flavor profile changes dependent upon the seasonings and heat applied.

2. Try thinly slicing, finely dicing or even using a shredder to utilize more of the vegetable to gain height and crunch on a sandwich while preserving the vegetable's nutritional values.

3. Marinading slices and dices of vegetable in a light, flavorful dressing or vinaigrette for an hour then, patting gently, will add another layer of flavors to any vegetable sandwich.

4. For fast flavor punches, don't forget dressing your sandwich with relishes, chutneys or your favorite pickled vegetables straight from the grocery shelf!

Enjoy!